Crossing That Bridge
by Pookie2
Summary: The Courier decides where her loyalties lie, and begins to learn the consequences. Part 8 of the "All the Things You Are" storyline. Rated for language, violence, sexual innuendo.
1. Rocking the Boat

Arcade Gannon was a simple man. No, he wasn't, but sometimes he liked to pretend he was. He did have simple needs, however. For one, he liked to wake up and have some quiet time with a cup of coffee.

The Courier had certainly aided in that endeavor: the 'coffee' she'd learned to make in Utah was the best consumable he'd had in… ever. He was sitting at the kitchen table in the 38, drinking his morning cup and thumbing through a book. Boone sat across the table from him, gradually waking up with his own cup of coffee. Raul was next to him with his well-worn copy of Dean's Electronics balanced open on his knee as he took apart a walkie-talkie.

The others at the table weren't what was disturbing his morning. They were usually there most mornings anyway, sometimes joined by Layla, occasionally cooking, but most of the time sitting across the table with the same half-awake look as Boone.

"YEAAOCH! No fair, it's my turn!" Veronica cried from the hallway.

"You shot me twice last time! Now have at you!" came Layla's reply. There was a loud zap and a squeal.

Arcade was definitely starting to regret showing the Courier how to work the stun gun she'd found in Utah. Especially the part about lowering the power so it only delivered a mild zap. Now she and Veronica were constantly playing 'laser tag' with it.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!" Cass bellowed from the bedroom. There was silence for a moment, then both Veronica and Layla stared laughing.

"Aren't you glad the Boss is back?" Raul said, getting a grin from Boone. Arcade groaned.

"I'm thrilled."

*.*.*

It was suspiciously quiet in the presidential suite tonight. Cass knew almost everyone was here. Lily was still in Jacobstown and Raul had gone back to his shack during the day and hadn't returned yet. But all the others were holed up in the suite. That meant there should be more noise and more people wandering around.

The Courier's door was closed, which meant she was probably napping. That ruled out anyone else in there, unless Boone was finally railing the girl. The caravaneer frowned; she'd been damn close to getting them hooked up in Utah. If it hadn't been for a meddling bitch at the bar or the fucking Burned Man, they'd be halfway to naming their first kid after her.

That hope was squashed as she walked into the kitchen to find Boone reading an issue of Grognak the Barbarian, and raised her eyebrows at the sniper.

"Aren't you a little old for comic books?"

"Aren't you a little young to sound like my mother?" he shot back.

"I liked you better when you didn't talk," Cass said, opening the fridge. Nothing looked appealing, so she closed the door with a disgruntled sigh.

"Wanna go hit the Strip?" she said to the sniper.

"Don't really feel like picking up dudes," he replied, not looking up from his book.

"You're really becoming-" She was cut off by a sudden burst of panicked screams coming from further in the suite. Cass' heart dropped in her gut as she rushed out of the kitchen, following the sound. It was coming from Layla's room. She burst through the door, gun drawn, Boone on her heels.

Layla and Veronica were sitting on the bed, clinging to each other. Both girls let out a shriek at Cass and Boone's sudden entrance. Arcade gave Cass a pitying look from his chair next to the bed.

"Oh great, you've managed to scare half the house to death," he said to the girls.

"What the hell happened?" Cass demanded.

"A guy just got his face melted off!" Layla said earnestly. "His bullets did nothing!"

The older woman noticed the television set and holo-vid player sitting on the coffee table in front of the bed. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," she grumbled, glaring at the Courier.

"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to- HOLY SHIT, IT'S BACK!" the girl shouted and covered her eyes. "Oh God, did it get the doctor?"

"Not yet," Arcade said. "I think it's trying to eat the nurse first."

There was a burst of what sounded like gun fire from the television and Cass found Boone had left her side. He sat on the open edge of the bed next to Veronica, eyebrow raised at the screen. After another peel of gun shots, he frowned.

"Why would he keep shooting it if isn't doing anything?" he said.

"That's your biggest question?" Arcade shot back. "Not the goo monster? Besides, what else is he going to do?"

"Shoot the propane tank, set it on fire."

"You're all driving me crazy…" Cass grumbled as she left the room.

*.*.*

Later that night, Layla sat awake in her bed. The lights were still on, and she was _not_ going to try to sleep. Why, why, why weren't the others being loud like most nights? Sometimes it would get so bad she'd storm out of the room and tell them (usually Cass and Veronica) to keep it down. Now, when she'd welcome the sound of someone else in the suite, it was silent.

She wanted to poke her head out an call ED-E into the room, or maybe even Victor, though the securitron had been absent from the suite more and more lately. The eyebot was an excellent idea though. If he didn't pick up anything wrong, then there would be no reason to worry. Nope, nothing to worry about. Except ED-E could only really pick up things from this dimension, best Layla could tell. No telling what a lurking horror from beyond the stars would do to his circuits.

Either way, she'd have to get out of bed and look into the dark hallway, which she really didn't want to do. She privately wished Boone was on the couch, but she got the feeling his night watch services didn't extend to pretend monsters, unlike the very real Ghost People.

Oh great, think about those at time like this.

Just as she had almost gotten the creatures out of her mind, she heard a noise outside the door. She watched with widening eyes as the knob started turning. The Courier would have screamed for help or reached for the .45 on her nightstand if she hadn't been frozen in terror as her door opened and a dark shape slinked into the room.

It was perhaps for the best that she hadn't gone for her gun as Veronica turned her way and jumped when she saw the Courier looking at her.

"Don't DO that!" the scribe cried.

"ME? You just sneak into my room without knocking in the middle of the night and _I_ shouldn't scare _you_?"

"Well I…" She gave Layla an appraising look. "Wanna bunk together tonight?"

"Yes," the other girl answered automatically and scooted to one side of the bed.

Soon both girls were trying very hard not to freak out at the random creaking noises of the suite.

*.*.*

"Hey."

Raul looked up from his book to find Boone standing in the doorway of the Rec room.

"Can you fix something for me?"

"That depends on how broken it is," the mechanic answered. "What is it?"

The man held up an odd-looking power fist. Raul took it from his hands, looking over the damage. The power supply would need to be replaced, along with half the wiring. There was also a huge chunk taken out of the plating.

"Gonna needs some parts…" he started, to which the sniper handed him a bag of caps.

"Keep the change," he said. "The sooner the better."

"You drive a hard bargain," Raul laughed. "What do you need it for?"

"Just in-" He was cut off by the sound of an explosion, screams, and a wet splatter coming from the kitchen. Raul followed the sniper as he rushed to the source of the noise.

They found Layla and Veronica standing near the doorway, both wearing shocked looks. They were coated in something red and pulpy. Once they'd noticed the other two, they both started laughing.

Looking around, Raul saw two crunchy mutfruits on the end of the table. Next to them was a scorched spot and the source of the red splatter. Before he could question them, Layla stopped laughing and raised her new stun gun.

Going by the gleam in her eyes, Raul guessed what was about to happen. He took a step behind Boone as the girl aimed down the table.

"BLAMMO!" she cried, firing at the fruit.

The resulting splatter coated Boone and the girls in a new layer of pulped fruit.

The sniper did not look pleased.

*.*.*

"We should have done this outside…" Veronica said as she and Layla tried to scrub the red from the walls. The kitchen wall had started a salmon color, but was now sporting several darker red areas.

"Okay, Captain Hindsight," Layla muttered as she scrubbed. The pulpy layer had come off easily, but the juice from the fruit had left a vivid red stain wherever it touched, which was just about everywhere.

"Lily's gonna be pissed when she gets back," the scribe continued.

"We're just lucky Boone's beret was already red," the Courier said as she frowned at the still-red spot she was working over.

"Good evening ladies- whoa Nelly!" Layla turned as Victor rolled into the room. "Did you kids blow someone up?"

"Just a mutfruit," Layla said. "Have you got any homespun robot-cowboy remedies for stains?"

The securitron looked at the wall. Despite the girls' vigorous scrubbing, it was still mostly red.

"Rub more in to the rest of the wall so it all looks even?"

Layla and Veronica looked at each other, then back at the robot.

"Did I ever tell you you're my favorite cowboy?" Layla said as she went to the fridge to find another mutfruit.

"Were you looking for me?" she asked as she cut open the fruit and began smearing it on the wall.

"Boss is looking to meet with you when you get a chance," Victor answered.

"Ah, excellent," Layla said, grinning. "Hopefully we can get going on this Dam business."

"How are we going to reach the top?" Veronica said, interrupting her thoughts as she indicated the tall kitchen walls.

"Ummm." Layla squinted at the wall for a moment. "Oh! Come here, Victor." Veronica gave her a boost, and a moment later she was smearing the wallpaper up to the ceiling from on top of the robot.

"What would I do without you, Vic?" The Courier asked affectionately as she finished applying the juice.

"Oh, I think you'd be just fine," the robot answered. "You're a tough little thing."

"Ha," she said as she hopped off the robot. "Well, as for Mr. House, I actually have an appointment to keep in Freeside soon." She checked her Pip-Boy. "But once that's done, I'll go see him."

"I'll let him know, darlin'."

*.*.*

"There it is," April Martimer said as she pulled a small microphone from ED-E's internal circuitry.

"I knew it," Layla said. "Hand it here."

The Follower handed her the still-connected microphone, eyebrow raised. The Courier took the small piece of electronics from the woman. ED-E had been brought in to check for 'extra upgrades' she'd been suspicious of the Brotherhood installing. April had agreed to check the eyebot over and upgrade his weapons system in exchange for the Enclave files in his memory banks. The woman had not been happy to find out the Brotherhood had been given a copy of the files as well.

"Thanks again for the upgrades, Knight Lorenzo," she said into the microphone before she ripped it from its wiring. "Brotherhood-types, always with the sneaky," she murmured with a grin.

"If you didn't trust them, why did you let them poke around with your robot?" April asked as she watched the other woman crush the microphone under her boot.

"I trust them about halfway," Layla answered. "They're generally good people. Just a little…" She searched for a word. "… zealous in some regards."

The Follower laughed. "Yes, that's certainly the word for it." She reinitiated the robot once she had the housing back on. The machine sputtered, then its motors whirred to life, and it lifted off the table.

"There's my handsome boy," Layla said as she reached out to the robot. "Now you're all better."

April gave her a strange look as she continued fussing over the machine.

*.*.*

"ED-E, my love, be a dear and wait here for me," Layla said as they entered the Lucky 38. She smirked slightly as the robot chirped at her; Some people would call her crazy for her constant talking to the robot, but they could kiss off. She moved to one of the securitrons.

"Excuse me?" The robot turned. "Where's Victor?"

"Program 'Victor' is in unit number 039988-" The robot made a buzzing noise and the soldier on the screen fuzzed out. A moment later, it was replaced with a cowboy.

"Well hello, darlin.' Were you looking for me?" Victor asked, sounding his usual cheery self.

"Sure was," Layla smiled. "Could you let Mr. House know I'm ready when he is for our meeting."

"You've got it." The soldier reappeared on the screen for a moment, only to be replaced with a cowboy again a minute later.

"Boss says he can see you now."

"Oh, great, let's go."

*.*.*

"Laying low and leaving the Mojave for more than a month are two very different things," House admonished. "But I suppose no harm is done."

Layla hid her grin. She knew the Zion National Park snow globe she'd brought him would smooth over any trouble. Clearing his throat, House continued.

"At any rate, we are ready to begin the next phase. The Legion isn't ready to attack yet, but there are many loose ends that need to be addressed."

Layla let a smile split her face; she was eager to get this show going. The tension was starting to pick up in the Mojave. Everyone could feel it. With some of the advances they were able to make, both politically and personally, she was starting to feel like they'd be able to push the Legion back with little trouble.

"So what's next?"

"I was going to have you look into the Omertas; but you seemed to have already settled the matter."

"Yeah, it'd had been brought to my attention." It felt like years since Boone had thrown a stick of dynamite at Nero and Big Sal, effectively stopping their plan to attack the Strip, but it had only been a few months. Shaking the thought away, she looked back in House's direction as he continued speaking.

"Your next assignment is to locate and destroy the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel."

Layla's mouth dropped open.

"_What?"_

* * *

><p>Hee hee...I'm sure you've all seen the Old World Blues trailer. I first worried how I'd fit the story in. Now I know exactly how. We won't be getting there for a bit, though. Thanks for reading!<em><br>_


	2. Means to an End

"I… I'm not going to kill the Brotherhood," Layla sputtered. She must have heard him wrong. House had certainly not just asked her to wipe out the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel.

"Don't tell me you've fallen for their over-romanticized tales of paladins protecting a benighted world from the dangers of the past. Dross!" House's voice had taken on that weird zealous tone as he spoke. Layla gaped at his image on the screen.

"There's got to be a diplomatic solution to this," the Courier said. "You don't really want me to kill all those people?"

"The Brotherhood will not be content to stand by while I operate an army of robots to protect Vegas. One day they will take steps against me. Please, put them out of my misery."

"No! You can't ask me to do this." Layla was starting to get angry.

"This is an employer-employee relationship. See to it your job is done."

"You don't really think I'll do it."

"I'm very confident you will. You've proven quite resourceful in the past."

*.*.*

"All right, I'm glad everyone's assembled," Layla said cheerfully as she walked into the kitchen. Everyone but Lily was present, but that wouldn't be an issue soon.

"House gave us new marching orders?" Cass sounded bored.

"That's it," the Courier replied. "So, let's get moving!"

The gathered group stared at her.

"Uh… right now?" Arcade broke the silence first.

"Yep! Get your things; let's meet in front of the casino in ten minutes!"

*.*.*

"What the fuck is this about?" Cass demanded as Layla stepped out of the Lucky 38. The girl gave her a cheery look.

"We're going on a field trip! Don't grouse, it'll be fun. Besides, we've got work to do."

She kept smiling at her companions, who were all giving her suspicious looks. Layla saw a nearby Securitron roll by, then took a breath.

"Listen." The cheer faded from her face, replaced with an unfamiliar sneer. "I'm paying you people to follow orders, not fucking question them. Get moving."

She turned before she could see their reactions, praying they had enough sense to realize something was wrong and keep quiet. She started for the Strip's outer gate, and heard footsteps fall behind her.

*.*.*

The trip to Jacobstown had been long and awkward. Layla had led the group in silence, paranoid of how far House's reach extended. She knew he had surveillance devices all over the Strip, and some beyond. It'd take only one misstep to tip him off.

Once they were inside the walls of the town, she told her group to wait in the ski lodge, still not looking their way. She was pretty sure they were safe here, but now she was a little worried she'd upset her friends. As they started for the large building, she looked around the town, hoping to catch sight of Marcus.

"Oh! ED-E!" The robot had been hovering toward the lodge and suddenly stopped, sensors turning her way. She waved him over, and he zoomed back to her. The robot chirped merrily; at least he wasn't mad at her. She peeked at her friends. Raul and Boone had lingered at the doors of the lodge, waiting for her.

She gestured at them to continue and saw Raul shake his head, probably exasperated. They went inside the building.

"On vacation?" came a voice from behind her, making her jump. She turned to see Marcus giving her a good-natured smile. "I don't think many people go on business retreats here anymore."

"Marcus…" Layla suddenly felt the nerves that had been building since her meeting with House resurface. "Can I impose on your town for a little while?"

"What's your trouble?"

*.*.*

"Okay, Layla. What. The. Fuck?" Cass sounded like she was about to jump the table and beat an explanation out of the girl as she walked into the dining room of the ski lodge. Biting her lip, Layla nodded at ED-E, who started slowly moving around the room, beeping as he went.

Marcus had followed as well, along with Lily. They moved to the back of the room, standing by the table while the robot finished his circle. A moment later, ED-E came back to her with a cheery beep.

"You sure?" Layla asked, and the robot beeped again. The Courier let out a breath she felt like she'd been holding for a while. The robot's sensors had found no foreign recording signals. She looked to Marcus.

"Ah… don't take this as rude to you or yours… but there aren't any stealth boy equipped nightkin running around, are there?"

Marcus shook his head. "No, once Doctor Henry started the next phase of treatment, Keene made some interesting threats toward anyone thinking about using them."

"Good." Layla finally turned to her friends, who were all giving her varying levels of concerned looks. "We've got a problem."

"Really? You haven't given any indication to make us think that." Arcade said sarcastically. "Are you going to tell us what's going on now or what?"

"We need to figure out our role in this war," Layla answered, "now."

"What do you mean?" Veronica asked.

"Decide who we're backing… Start backing them directly," The Courier replied. She bit her lip and walked to the front of the table.

"There's three factions after the Dam: NCR, Legion, and House. I can assume no one's planning on helping the Legion take over the Mojave, right?"

"Boone and I were thinking about defecting," Veronica answered. "After we turned you in, of course."

"Right, moving on." Layla sighed. "We've been helping the NCR a lot lately. We're on good terms and Ambassador Crocker has told me people at the Dam are getting interested in us. Things are getting serious, and I wanted to see what everyone was feeling about that."

"What about House?" Arcade asked. "I thought we were working for him."

"Yeah… about that." The Courier looked at Veronica, who gave her a confused look. "I don't think that arraignment is going to work anymore."

"What did he tell you to do?" Boone said.

"Yeah, you got all bothered after that meeting." Raul added. "And now we're hiding from him in the mountains."

Layla took a deep breath. "He wants me to blow up Hidden Valley and eliminate the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood."

There was a ringing silence.

"W-What, Why?" Veronica gasped.

"I suppose it makes sense," Arcade said. When Veronica whipped an angry look his way, he continued quickly. "I mean to him! Think about it: most of his plans revolve around a robot army, that's the kind of thing the Brotherhood would be very interested in." He looked Layla's way again.

"Did he think you'd tell him where it is?"

"No." Layla frowned. "He guessed the location on his own."

"What did you say to him?" Veronica said, still sounding horrified.

"I told him no!" Layla answered automatically. "But he's… got a way of ignoring what he doesn't want to hear. Then he reminded me I'm his employee and I'd just been given a job. He really expects me to do this."

"So now what do we do? Move out of the 38? Ignore House?" Veronica asked, still looking shocked as she fidgeted in her chair.

"If we quit, he's just going to get someone else…" Raul said, and the sick feeling in Layla's stomach started forming again.

"So what? We kill him?" Arcade said, clearly not comfortable with the idea. "We don't even know where he is. He's only spoken to you from behind monitors, right?"

"Yes," the Courier answered. "But I think he's in the basement of the casino. I've been down there once, and there was another floor I couldn't get into. I think he's there."

"Layla," Veronica sounded sick as she spoke up. "What about Victor?"

Layla found herself sinking into a chair. "I… If it was just him, I'd think we could trust him… but there's no way to even find out without House knowing about it. And House told me he did something to make him loyal again."

There was silence in the room, and the Courier sighed.

"If people aren't useful to him, he doesn't care about them, but if they become a nuisance or a possible threat, he'll want them eliminated." She sat back in the chair. "We can't let him continue."

"You're going to kill him?" Cass sounded incredulous. "I thought you didn't murder people."

Layla rested her head on her hands. "I… don't. We've got to come up with something else."

"What do we know about him?" Arcade asked thoughtfully. "I mean physically. He's supposed to be over two hundred years old, right? Is he a ghoul?"

"I don't think so…" Layla said. "But I can't be certain. I've never seen him in person." She started chewing her lip, thinking back to Father Elijah, who'd operated similarly. The Brotherhood elder had done so to keep threats away so he could operate without worrying about people trying to kill him. The man probably would have been beside himself with the information House had at his disposal…

"He's got a network," she said out loud. "Monitoring devices, securitron control, data feeds. If we could just get him away from it, or take it offline, we'd be able to neutralize him as a threat. No killing involved."

"That's a lot of unknowns," Arcade said, sounding unsure.

"We're going to have to come up with a plan…" the Courier said, looking at the table they were seated at. She picked at the chipped wood for a moment before she looked up to her friends, speaking again.

"Do we want to do this? Take House out of power?"

The silence returned, and it was Marcus who spoke up.

"If House just starts killing off people he doesn't like, it's only a matter of time before he starts targeting everyone who isn't working for him."

Layla nodded; that had been her assessment too.

"What I don't understand is why he even thought you'd do it," Cass stated, addressing the Courier as she kicked her feet up on the table. "You're getting to the point where you won't kill anything that isn't a Legionary who's actively trying to kill you. Why the hell did he think you'd murder a whole group of people?"

"Especially when you're clearly friends with one of the members," Veronica added.

"House has no concept of how people work," Layla answered. "He thinks everyone has a price, and it's money." she shrugged, "Which is probably true of a lot of people, but it wasn't enough to keep Benny from trying to pull a coup and isn't enough to make me a murderer."

"Well, if we're in agreement about this, when are we going to do it?" Veronica asked.

Layla sat back, "We'll need some time to come up with a plan. And I want to meet with the three families before we do it."

"You're not going to tell them, are you?" Raul asked. Layla gave him an exasperated look.

"Of course not… I'm just going to feel them out about House. We need to know if someone's going to come looking for revenge, or try to take over the Strip in his absence."

*.*.*

"Stay the night," Marcus said as the group stepped out of the building. "There are a few extra rooms in the lodge. Dinner's on me."

"Thank you," Layla responded, then smiled at him. "I hope you don't mind our barging in. I guess I think of Jacobstown as a safe haven."

"I'm flattered," the super mutant answered. "And you'll always be welcome, so long as you don't tease the nightkin."

"Why would anyone tease a nightkin?" Veronica said with a laugh, stepping away from the group. "Now, I'm going to go play in the snow while it's still here!" And with that, she bounded in the direction of one of the half-melted piles near the town entrance. The Courier watched her leave with a frown on her face. A moment later it cleared, and she looked at her friends mischievously.

"I told you all about a big, dangerous situation without running off to 'fix it' on my own." Layla said, giving a slightly smug look to her friends. Cass laughed.

"That is a nice change, I'll admit." Her face darkened. "Fucking House, I knew that skunk was going to make a mess of things," she groused. "What a psycho…"

"Raul, you were around back then," Layla said. "What was he like, Pre-War?"

"You'd hear about him occasionally; he ran with some actresses, including a Mexican soap opera star. There were some weird stories starting coming up about him measuring her brain waves…"

Layla gave him a strange look. "These actresses… one wouldn't have been called Jane, would they?"

"Maybe Boss, I didn't keep up on soap operas when I was a kid. Why do you ask?"

"He's got an A.I. named Jane… she's… well…"

"Well?" Cass prompted.

"She told me she tends to his… 'needs.'"

"Well that's mildly disturbing," Arcade said as he rolled his shoulders. "I'm going to have a look around, maybe talk with Doc Henry…" He meandered off, trying without success to avoid a snowball from Veronica.

"Why even bother making them?" Cass asked, getting Layla's attention again. "The A.I.'s? What's the point?"

"I think he likes knowing what people will do," The Courier said thoughtfully. "People aren't predictable though, so he makes A.I.'s he can program. Relying on humans doesn't always end well." The girl bit her lip, looking at the snow again.

"I'm heading in for a while. I'll see you at dinner." She left for the lodge before anyone else could answer.

Marcus noticed the varying levels of concern Layla's friends showed at her sudden departure. The super mutant grinned marginally at the Courier's demeanor.

"She reminds me of another girl I knew…"

*.*.*

Boone found Layla staring out the window of her room in the lodge. Her arms had been crossed over her torso, one thumb absentmindedly running over the snakeskin of her pistol grip, still in its holster.

He approached, trying not to startle her.

"Hey." She jumped and turned when he spoke. "What're you doing?"

"Just thinking about some good advice someone gave me," she said, patting the gun in her holster. She then frowned marginally. "And wishing it made me feel better about this."

Boone moved to her side and looked out the window. Pine trees still covered in the clumpy remains of snow filled the view, but didn't completely block the setting sun. They stood in silence for a few moments before Layla spoke.

"Do you think this is the right thing to do?" she asked.

"No," he answered, and the girl looked up at him. "I think we should kill him."

"I'd like to avoid that," she responded, sounding slightly shocked. He continued, wanting her to understand how important the point he was trying to make was.

"If he gets away, or has some kind of backdoor into his system, he'll be back. Only then he'll be after you…"

The Courier looked thoughtful at that, then blew out a breath. "Let's just try to focus on getting him taken offline from his network. I feel bad enough about betraying him…"

Boone stifled an amused grin; only Layla could feel like she was betraying a guy who asked her to kill her friend's entire family. The girl was still looking out the window, face troubled.

"We'll follow your lead," he said. She smiled at him for a moment, but it faded.

"Let's hope I make the right choice…"


	3. Quid Pro Quo

"My dear, you must try the steak tartar. It is divine," Marjorie said to Veronica, indicating one of the many plates before them. The scribe happily did so as Layla tried very hard to remember the etiquette lesson Lily had given them before they left.

There were five forks, three knives, and two spoons staring at her. The three glasses had been easier to figure out, as they had been filled for her. The only thing she could remember the super mutant telling her was to put her napkin on her lap, which was the only part she'd known already.

A moment more of thought, and she selected the fork furthest outside of the line at her setting. She noticed the White Glove had been watching her and seemed pleased. The Courier kept herself from sighing in relief.

"Now, we are always happy to host such esteemed guests as yourselves, but I can't help but think you have a reason for visiting us." Marjorie said lightly.

She was quite correct. Layla had asked Veronica to go with her to feel out the White Gloves' stance on House. It had not been hard to convince the Brotherhood scribe to accompany her to the formal dinner. This had been a mixed blessing: one hand, Layla was happy to get Veronica's mind off House's plans. She was pretty sure her companion was more upset than she was letting on. The problem with the dinner was there was no way House didn't know about it. The White Gloves liked to make a show of things, and if the man was curious as to why they were meeting, he'd probably find out easily.

"Well, we thought it would be good to touch base with everyone," Layla said to the woman, dabbing her napkin to her lip before replacing it on her lap. "The Legion threat is growing, and the Mojave is starting to get tense."

"Ah," the woman said, sipping her wine, "I think I understand."

Layla didn't let the worry that had started crawling into her gut show on her face. Hopefully she had no clue as to the real reason the Courier had asked for this meeting. She figured that if she played this like she was checking up on people for House, they wouldn't get wise. If House was listening, it would sound like she was taking the initiative to maintain order on the Strip. She hoped, anyway.

"The Society will be relieved when those savages have been expelled from the area," Marjorie said stiffly. Almost too stiffly, Layla noted. Curious, she decided to give her a little push.

"Legionaries have a habit of popping up and ruining the good times, that's for sure."

The other woman adopted a look like she'd smelled something unpleasant. The Courier wasn't sure exactly what issues the White Gloves had with the Legion; there could be dozens of things, but she figured it was probably a good sign.

"Well, we'll be sure to escort them from the premises," she said. "Permanently."

"I'm certain of that," Marjorie said, sounding more natural now. She turned a smile at the younger woman. "You have been a beacon of hope to the Mojave in these dark times."

Layla hadn't been expecting the compliment and felt her cheeks burn as she forgot her carefully laid plan. She glanced at Veronica, who'd raised an eyebrow at her in amusement.

"How does one go about becoming a White Glove?" the scribe asked a moment later, surprising Layla but apparently amusing Marjorie.

"You would need a sponsor, then after a trial period, and with no objections from the rest of the society, you're inducted. Are you interested, my dear?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it," the girl continued. She motioned to the dim room, which was enhanced by candlelight. "It is impressive."

"If either of you would like a sponsorship, please come speak with me. I would be delighted to support either of you."

"Thank you," Veronica said, smiling. "It's nice to know you think highly of us," she said, pointing a subtle look in Layla's direction.

"All of the society is in your debt."

*.*.*

"Three of a kind," Boone said, laying out his cards.

"Full House," Arcade countered, smugness coloring his voice. He never beat anyone at cards. Today was his lucky day-

"Surface-to-air missile." Raul didn't bother hiding his grin. Both Arcade and Boone let out a groan.

Gathering up the cards, Arcade found himself tapping his foot nervously on the kitchen floor. He eventually stopped when Boone gave him a dirty look. The doctor didn't understand how Boone or Raul could be so damn calm. They were staying at the 38 to keep House from guessing anything was wrong. Periodically, a member of their little group would leave for a while, carefully taking their important possessions out of the suite and storing them elsewhere in case things didn't end well and they had to permanently abandon the 38.

The plan was to just act normal, but Arcade could feel House's looming presence. He just hoped he didn't slip up and say anything important. Trying to banish the thought, he started shuffling the deck when he heard the elevator open.

A moment later, Layla walked into the kitchen, followed by Veronica. The Courier casually stepped out of her high heels, making a sour face.

"Ugh, that was awful."

"What happened?" Arcade asked. They were supposed to be meeting with Marjorie. He noted Boone was looking her over in 'injury detection mode.'

"We were really hoping they'd have those mirelurk puffs with sauce à l'aneth, but Marjorie said their mirelurk shipments from the East have been backed up. So instead we got these weird-tasting gecko pâté things. Ugh. I mean, dinner was good, but that wasn't the way to start off a meal."

"And I spilled wine on my dress!" Veronica said. "I was mortified."

"What a harrowing experience," Arcade said dryly. Layla turned his way, hands on her hips.

"You wouldn't be so flippant if you'd had that gecko. Bleh."

"So, how did it go?" Raul asked casually. The Courier's face turned noticeably neutral as she answered.

"Oh, just fine. They offered us a sponsorship to join the society."

"Really?" Arcade said, starting to grin. "And will you take them up on it?"

"Not right this minute," the Courier said as she moved to the fridge, digging around. "Let's just say I've heard some interesting stories about their past recipes that keep me away."

Arcade wasn't sure he knew what that meant, and judging by the half-grin on Boone's face, he probably didn't want to know.

*.*.*

"Slots or Black Jack?" Layla frowned at Boone's blank stare. "This was part of the plan. If you didn't want to gamble, you shouldn't have come." Boone had insisted on coming with her when she'd announced where she was going. He didn't usually go with her to the Gomorrah, and he wouldn't tell her why he wanted to now.

"What is the plan, exactly?" he asked as she lead them through the casino.

"From what I hear, I'm not far from wearing out my welcome here." Noting the raised eyebrow he gave her, she laughed a little. "I mean for winning money. I guess these places have an upper limit on how much you can win before they won't let you gamble anymore."

"I thought you didn't like it here." Boone asked, sounding mildly suspicious.

"I don't, but somehow I always end up here," she answered. "I do like the card deck they use though. Anyway, I break the bank, and Cachino will hear about it. Then he'll get nervous as to why we're here."

The casino boss had refused to meet with them, citing that he was 'too busy.' But Layla had the feeling he just didn't want them snooping around. She also had the feeling that if she made a big show of being in the building, his worry would get the better of him.

So she settled down at a Black Jack table. Her Black Jack table, the one with the stain near the 'G' in 'Gomorrah.' Boone stood at her shoulder, continuously scanning the area for trouble. The Omerta's casino was about the only place on the Strip where he still kept such a constant vigil. Layla actually found it reassuring; she had a habit of losing track of everything when she got into playing.

It felt like she'd only been playing for a few minutes when the sniper nudged her. Looking up, she found his gaze pointed at a short man in a suit coming their way. Layla knew the guy; he was the one who usually comped her drinks. Going by the look on his face, that wasn't his purpose now.

"The boss wants to speak with you…" he said, looking uncomfortable. "Right now."

Layla glanced in Boone's direction. He was glaring at the pit boss, probably for making demands of them. Letting the sniper work his magic on the smaller man, she gathered her chips and stood.

"I guess we have a few minutes to talk," she said sweetly. Soon they were shown to the office above Brimstone. Cachino gave them a cautious attempt at a smug smile as he gestured to the chairs in front of his desk.

"If it isn't the firecracker," the casino boss said as Layla took a seat. Boone hovered behind her, and she noticed Cachino turn a sincere smug look in his direction.

"How was the Sierra Madre?" Cachino continued. "I hope you can keep the leash on your shaved gorilla, I'd hate to have to kick him out again."

Layla managed to hide her amused grin as she glanced the sniper's way. That answered the question of why Boone was here. Instead, she adopted what she liked to call her business sneer as she looked back at Cachino.

"Nice to know who we can count on when there's trouble," she said. The Omerta shrugged.

"If I didn't have the information, I didn't have it."

Keeping her neutral look, Layla considered her next words carefully. Of all the families, she was the most worried about the Omertas. She wasn't sure what to do with Vegas once House was out of the picture, but all the scenarios she'd thought of all ended the same: the Gomorrah would need an overhaul.

Nero and Big Sal's plan to oust House had been thwarted in part by the man sitting across from her, but she got the feeling he had acted more out of self-preservation than loyalty. He'd also made it clear there was no camaraderie between himself and Layla.

"Well, we were looking to check up on you. The war's coming to a head and we want to make sure the Omertas aren't getting scared."

She kept an eyebrow raised at him as she spoke, deciding for the smartass approach when it came to dealing with the prick. The casino boss narrowed his eyes at her.

"The NCR will deal with the Legion," he said casually. "If they don't, House's securitrons will mop up what's left."

"It's not unlikely they might try to pull something on the Strip while they're attacking the dam," she continued. "Will the Omertas be able to defend themselves if need be?"

"If any of those Legion fucks get this far, we can hold them off," he said defensively.

Now Layla was pretty sure he didn't have the gumption to pull a coup. As long as things stayed status quo, he'd be happy. Of course, they wouldn't, but by the time that became clear, Layla hoped to make him an offer he couldn't refuse. One that was backed up by securitrons or NCR troops.

"Well, if that's the case, we won't take anymore of your time," she said, standing. Cachino suddenly took on an ugly smile that made Layla's skin crawl. Just as she was reminded of some of the more disgusting things she knew about the man, she noticed Boone had moved to her side.

"Oh, and one more thing, doll face." Cachino sounded awful amused with her disdain. "You're banned from gambling in the casino. You've taken enough of our money."

*.*.*

"So how long would someone have to sit around with a broken leg before stimpaks?" Veronica asked Layla, who shrugged and looked to Arcade.

"Anywhere from three to six months," he answered immediately.

"Holy crap." The scribe looked back at the screen. "No wonder the guy started peeping on his neighbors."

"Shh," Layla hissed as they continued watching another movie from the stack they'd gotten from Vault 34. Arcade was back on his chair, and Layla was squeezed between Veronica and Boone on the bed.

Veronica grinned at the arraignment, mentally patting herself on the back. When they'd settled in to watch the film, she'd been in the middle of the bed. Five minutes in, she announced she had to use the 'facilities' and left. When she'd come back, she told Layla the 'smallest goes in the middle' and pushed her into the center, and more importantly, into Boone.

The scribe wanted to be able to tell herself that she'd done it to aid Cass' efforts to get the two together. To bring 'a little joy in this fucking trash heap of a world' as the caravaneer put it. In reality, she liked making them squirm. Layla was an easy mark, but getting Boone visibly uneasy was as rewarding as it was hilarious. They'd spent a solid minute trying to figure out where to put their arms without crossing any 'boundaries.'

Eventually, the awkwardness had faded as they both started getting into the movie. Now Layla shushed any attempts at conversation. Veronica turned her attention back to the movie, which she had to admit was good. The leading lady's dresses alone were making her swoon.

"This is probably going to be the last time things are normal…" Layla said suddenly. Veronica looked over to find her frowning.

"Once the Legion hits, we'll repel them," Arcade said quickly and reassuringly, though his face was shocked. He put a finger to his mouth admonishingly. They were supposed to be careful about what they said. ED-E had found a few bugs in the suite already.

The Courier only barely looked sheepish; instead there was a sad look on her face.

"The 'Legion' might make this place less of a home…" she said carefully. "I liked it here."

"Sometimes home changes," Arcade answered, sounding a little melancholy himself. Layla nodded, then seemed to muster herself and snaked an arm around Veronica's shoulders, giving her a squeeze.

"Even if it changes things, we have to protect the innocent from the 'Legion,'" she said. Boone snorted when she said 'innocent,' and Layla elbowed him hard enough to make him grunt. A moment later Veronica felt the sniper give her shoulder a squeeze, probably to convey he'd been joking.

Before any more could be said, the bedroom door opened and Raul walked in. Taking a look at the tangled mass of limbs on the bed, he started backing out of the room.

"Whoops! Sorry Boss! Didn't mean to interrupt anything."

The color Layla turned as she tried to untangle herself was almost as hilarious as Boone getting knocked off the bed in the process.

*.*.*

Looking around the gambling floor of the Tops, Layla frowned. She'd been looking for Swank, who'd been oddly hard to find. It was Friday night, and the casino was packed with NCR troopers on their weekend passes.

"Hey hey, baby doll!" Grinning, the Courier turned to find the Chairman had spotted her first.

"Hey Swank," she said as he approached her. "Got a minute?"

"For you? Sure thing," he said easily, and she had to work to keep her face neutral.

"How about a drink?" Swank said, offering his arm to Layla. She took it, and they made their way to the Aces. Soon she was sitting at a table with her favorite pink, fruity drink in front of her.

"So what can I do for you?" Swank asked, smiling over his scotch.

"Just want to touch base with you," Layla said easily. She found the Chairman giving her a slightly incredulous look. "What? The fight's coming to the dam soon. We just want to make sure you guys are okay in case anything happens." She had to fight to not bite her lip; that had been a little too candid. Swank seemed to pick up on her unease.

"Baby… not that I want to snoop, but you're not telling me everything."

Layla frowned, then looked up at her eyebot. "ED-E… go."

The robot started moving around the room, chirping, a moment later he came back and Layla looked over her Pip-Boy's screen. There were five listening devices in the room.

Frowning further, she tried to think. A moment later an idea struck her.

"Let's go upstairs…" she said, standing. Swank gave her a slightly startled look.

"Baby, not that I don-" She didn't him a chance to finish, instead grabbed him by the arm and nearly dragged him towards the elevators.

*.*.*

ED-E beeped a negative, and Layla sighed in relief. Benny's room was clear, just as she'd suspected. Swank was looking around the room with disdain, which wasn't helping her courage.

"So what's this about?" he asked. Layla took a deep breath, feeling like she was teetering on the edge of a cliff. Blowing out the breath, she decided to jump off.

"I'm taking House out of office."

There was a moment of silence while Swank stared at her.

"I… You're what?"

Layla grimaced slightly at his tone. "I'm going to separate him from his network, remove him from power."

The Chairman sank onto Benny's couch, looking stunned. "Why? And why tell me?"

Layla bit her lip, starting to wonder if this hadn't been a bad idea. The man was giving her a hard look as he waited for her to speak.

"The… He's asked me to kill an entire group of people, just because they might be a problem for him in the future." She took a calming breath. "I don't want to know what he'll want me to do next, or what he'll do once he's forced the NCR out and there's no one to keep him in check."

Swank looked at her, then looked away. He didn't speak for a moment, face still hard. Layla was suddenly very aware of how bad an idea this had been. She'd left most of her friends at the 38, and telling someone who could blow the whistle on them hadn't been in the plan. If Swank decided to find the nearest securitron, there was a variety of things House could do to her friends in retaliation. Locking them in the president suite by shutting off the elevator or just sending all the securitrons in guns blazing were two examples that came to mind immediately.

Horror was starting to set in as Swank still hadn't answered. If he freaked out, she may very well have to choose between him and her friends in the next few moments. Just as that thought took hold, the Chairman grimaced.

"We always figured House was a little cracked, but this is pretty bad." He looked her in the eye. "You're sure about all this?"

"He said there was no diplomatic solution," she answered quickly, careful to not mention it was the Brotherhood they were talking about. Swank shook his head, then put it in his hands. After a moment, he looked back up at her.

"The Chairmen will support you."

"Are you sure?" she asked him. "Once this is all over, I'm not sure how things are going to go. I'm going to try to make sure no one gets screwed, but I can't promise much…"

His mouth had set to a thin line, but he nodded.

"Thank you," Layla said softly. "You're the only one I've told about this…"

"What's your plan?"

She looked his way, face turning stern.

"Swank, if this doesn't go well, it would serve you a lot better not to know the details."

He frowned, then nodded. Layla sat on the couch next to him, suddenly feeling tired. Looking around, she noticed the room was still in the same state of disarray as when she'd last seen it. Benny had gone to get her a glass, next thing she knew he'd run off.

"Has anyone one been in here since Benny left?" she asked, curious.

"Naw. I don't know, I guess we thought it was bad ju-ju." he said with a smile. "I guess it's technically mine now. I don't know, feels weird in here, like someone's watching over your shoulder."

Layla laughed, "Kinda the opposite. There's no-" she sat bolt upright with a ragged gasp. Swank whipped his head her way as she got off the couch and ran to the bedroom.

"What is it?" he cried, coming up on her as she threw open the closet door. A securitron was standing in a metal-walled room full of computers.

"Why hello! I haven't seen you in a loooooong time!" the machine crowed.

"Hello, Yes Man," Layla said.

* * *

><p>I've been getting a ton of alerts and favorites! Thank you (and thanks to my reviewers :D)!<p>

Oh man, Old World Blues is hilarious!


	4. Push Comes to Shove

Opening a door from the main room of the suite into what looked like a closet, Layla motioned for her group to continue. She'd called them together to go over the plan, but had mentioned there was something else they needed to discuss.

"Everyone," she said, "meet Yes Man." The room was much larger than expected, with metal walls and computers all over the place. A single securitron with a creepy smile on its monitor was standing in the center of the room.

"Yes Man, meet everyone," the Courier said to the robot.

"Hi everyone!" The robot waved.

"What is this?" Cass asked, sounding confused.

"This was Benny's plan." Layla answered. "Get the platinum chip… and, you know, shoot whoever was holding it in the head, then plunk it in House's system, then get Yes Man here to override the network."

"Then what?" Arcade asked, looking over the robot with growing interest.

"Then probably exploit his new wealth and power to buy more suits and score more chicks," Layla answered, sounding slightly amused.

"So why don't we just use Yes Man to take over the network?" Arcade said, "We could turn New Vegas into its own government, but without the megalomaniacal dictator…" He trailed off as he saw Layla's face.

"There's a problem with Yes Man…"

"Oh yeah, what?"

The Courier stood, walking over to Boone. She whispered something in his ear, and the man raised an eyebrow in response.

"Trust me," the girl said. Turning back to the securitron, she spoke.

"Yes Man?"

"What's up, buddy?"

"Kill Boone, and don't stop for anything or anyone."

"You've got it!" the robot responded. Arcade gaped as the securitron raised its gatling gun in the sniper's direction.

"Stand down," Boone said.

"Sure thing!" the robot said cheerily, lowering his arm.

"Oh," Arcade said. "Huh, I guess that's not so good."

"According to Emily, there's no undoing this," Layla said.

"Well, we could go through House's systems manually," the doctor amended.

Layla sighed heavily. "We could, but we don't know how advanced this all is. It could take years. And everyone in the area isn't going to wait patiently for us to do so."

"So what do you propose?" Arcade had a feeling he already knew.

"I'm saying we give the Strip to the NCR. I'm not a freaking governor, and I don't really want to be." she answered.

Arcade didn't answer, this had been the conclusion he'd figured she'd go with. Independence had been what he'd hoped for, but the doctor didn't see an easy way to achieve it without the dangerously flawed robot. Looking back at Layla, he saw her regarding him carefully.

"I didn't say we were going to hand the whole area over lock, stock and barrel. There's going to be some changes around here, and not all are going to benefit the NCR's bottom line." That sounded a little better than he'd feared.

"Does anyone object to this?" she asked, looking over her friends. No one answered, most giving her supportive looks. She nodded and turned to Arcade.

"Could you go get Emily? I'd like to get this going."

*.*.*

"All right," Layla said, looking grim. "Here's the plan."

Emily Ortal stood with them in the computer-lined room, looking slightly nervous. The Courier had noticed she'd given both her and Yes Man mildly guilty looks on occasion .

"This should be relatively simple," she continued. "We'll have three groups operating at the same time. Veronica and Arcade will hack into the terminal in the cocktail lounge. Boone and Raul will be covering them. Emily will be on the casino floor installing a series of information packets and bugs into the system to distract House, hopefully buying time for the other team."

"Cass and Lily will be with you in case anything goes wrong," the Courier said to her. "You'll coordinate with the walkie-talkie set. Once you've uploaded all the programs, you, Cass, and Lily will leave the building and wait until the all-clear is given." She looked at Cass. "Got that?"

The older woman gave her a glare. "So we wait around while you're all getting slaughtered?"

"We won't get slaughtered," Layla said automatically, "… but if this ends badly, someone's got to warn the NCR… and the Brotherhood."

Cass glowered, but relented. The Courier continued.

"Veronica and Arcade are going to get the elevator in penthouse unlocked for me, then I ride down and unplug House's network."

"And what are you going to do when securitrons start raining down on you?" Arcade asked.

"Once you're in the system, House will take notice. It probably won't take him too long to figure out what's going on, so you'll have to move quick. Once it's clear, I run for the elevator. In the mean time," she said pointedly at the doctor's worried look, "I'll be using this." She held up the CIRCUTBREAKER pulse gun they'd recovered in Vault 34.

"Do you even know how to work that thing?" Arcade said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, point and click," she replied, ignoring the exasperated look she'd earned.

"This plan is a lot of 'ifs' and 'maybes' with you stuck in the middle of an army of robots if things go wrong," Raul said from his spot in the back of the crowd.

"Raul, if I've been doing everything by the seat of my pants this far, why would I want to changing things?"

The ghoul didn't look happy, neither did most of the room. Layla sighed.

"This will work fine, we may just have to be flexible if things don't go as planned."

"Do you have a backup plan?" Boone asked. "What if Veronica and Arcade can't open the elevator but still tip off House?"

Layla sighed; if she wanted to be honest with herself, she'd be screwed. Even if House didn't kill her right away, there was no escape from the penthouse other than the elevator. Which House would be in control of. Unless she planned on breaking a window and learning to fly.

If she put herself in House's shoes, the best plan for him would be to take her alive. Then he could hold her hostage to keep the others from tipping off the NCR or the Brotherhood of his plans for as long as it took to kill them. Then he'd kill her.

Looking back to the sniper, she answered, "If that happens, I'm going to start blowing off all the pulse grenades I've got. And I'm taking ED-E with me." The robot had followed her into the penthouse once, and there hadn't been a problem. Hopefully there wouldn't be this time either.

"Anyway, it'll work out, so let's not get all wishy-washy now. We're doing this." She looked at the group; they still were sporting wary looks, but no one brought up any further objections.

"So once again; Emily, Veronica and Arcade will all get into position while I go up the elevator. Once I'm in the penthouse, access the network from both angles. Emily dumps her data and leaves with Cass and Lily. Veronica and Arcade open the elevator and route any other security they can get to. I go down the express elevator and unplug House, then the network should be wide open."

Looking over the group, she saw grim but accepting faces. "Any questions?"

No one responded, and Layla took a moment to look over her friends, then nodded.

"All right, let's get this over with."

*.*.*

Cass didn't like this, but she'd hadn't been able to think of a better plan either. So after they'd given the first group fifteen minutes to get to the cocktail lounge, she, Lily, and Emily entered the Lucky 38's Casino.

The Follower had been stuck somewhere in between awe and nervousness as they walked in. When they made their way to the bar, nerves definitely won out. The caravaneer noticed her hands shaking, especially when they walked past any of the securitrons. Cass supposed she could understand; the robots would all probably be shooting at them in a few minutes.

Glancing to her side as they got into position, she saw Lily looking around the casino floor. The super mutant's mental state had been calming down over the last few weeks. The medical treatment she'd been getting in Jacobstown seemed to be working. Which was good; a freak out during this mission really wasn't going to help anyone.

"Okay, I'm ready," Emily said quietly. Cass nodded, and looked toward the entrance. She could feel sweat starting to bead on her neck by the time Layla appeared, followed by her eyebot. Cass saw her look in their direction and nodded. The Courier take a deep breath as she reached the elevator, her face getting serious as she hit the call button. A moment later, she disappeared into the lift, and Cass pulled the walkie-talkie off her hip.

"On her way."

"Got it," came Veronica's voice from the other end. After another tense wait, the scribe's voice rang out again.

"Go."

Cass hooked the radio back on her belt and nodded to Emily. The Follower's fingers started dancing over the terminal's keyboard. A few moments later, she reached behind the screen and pulled a few wires free, threading them into the little black box she'd brought with her.

Cass' eyes shifted to the securitrons in the room, waiting for them to start moving in their direction. So far, they seemed unconcerned.

"There, it's done."

"What?" Cass turned back to the other woman. The Follower stepped away from the console.

"It's in. We're done."

The redhead stared at her for a moment.

"That's it? That was too easy." Emily shrugged.

"I don't know what to tell you, except that we should get moving."

Shaking her head, she looked up at Lily, who shrugged her massive shoulders.

"Well shit, maybe this won't be so bad." Glancing at the unmoving securitrons again, she shook her head.

"Let's get out of here then."

*.*.*

"On her way," crackled from the walkie-talkie. Veronica picked it up from the table in the cocktail lounge.

"Got it," she replied. "Raul," she called to the ghoul, who move towards the elevator to listen for its arrival the floor above them.

"Are you ready?" Arcade asked from her side. She looked his way and found the doctor fidgeting.

"Yeah, you?" He nodded, then seemed to make a conscious effort to stop.

"Veronica," Raul's voice rang out. She activated the walkie-talkie again.

"Go." She set the radio down and looked back to the others again. Boone and Raul had started overturning tables to block them from the door. Boone positioned himself behind the bar and Raul near a booth on the opposite side of the room.

Arcade pushed his glasses up his nose. "Shouldn't dawdle," he said quietly. Both he and Veronica knew the he wasn't there to help her with the computer. Layla had told him to go with this team because they were in the most danger aside from the Courier herself. They'd probably need a doctor once all hell broke loose.

Veronica nodded, then started typing on the terminal. She accessed the prompt Victor had left open for them, relieved it was still functioning. Soon she was in House's network, working toward the security programs. She thought she heard the elevator move, but ignored it as she found the overrides for the locking systems.

"Does he know you're in?" Arcade asked.

"I'm not sure. Nothing's come up-"

"He knows," Boone said from behind them, and Veronica started at the sound of the sniper's gun going off. By the time she'd heard him reload, she was worried. Looking back, she gaped at the sheer number of robots pouring out of the elevator.

"Shit," she breathed, turning back to the monitor. Whatever trick Emily had come up with must be working, because she was still able to route around House's network. Just as she found the express elevator controls, the screen flashed brightly before turning off.

"What happened?" Arcade cried as the scribe tried to get the terminal back on. After rebooting it, the original bar prompt was staring at her, and not taking any other commands.

"He locked us out…" Veronica said. She looked back to find Arcade giving her a grim look.

"Did you get the elevator unlocked?" Raul yelled over his shoulder before he ducked behind an overturned table.

"No."

*.*.*

"ED-E!" Layla cried as the robot was shot out of the air. Laser fire splashed near her, and she scrambled under a table. House hadn't been pleased with the intrusion, and had pieced together what was happening pretty quickly. The entire room was suddenly filled with robots, and she'd barely been able to disable a few of them with her pulse grenades and escape into the living area of the penthouse.

Peeking up, she saw three robots between her and the door. They weren't shooting, probably conserving ammo for when she emerged. She tossed a grenade toward the group, waited for it to blow and came out from her cover. Running as fast as she could, she slid to a stop as she reached the elevator, pressing the button hurriedly. It didn't respond.

"Fuck." As she turned to see how many were pursuing her, she suddenly realized none of the robots had fired yet. As she finished her turn, she found one securitron directly behind her, obscuring her view of the rest of the room. On its screen was a frowning cowboy.

"Victor," Layla said, feeling her stomach twist painfully, "I… I wanted to tell you." The securitron didn't respond. Part of her head was screaming to shoot at him, throw one of her grenades, do _something_. But even as the robot rolled closer to her, she merely backed up until she was pressed against the elevator door.

"Victor… I-"

The robot reached an arm out, and Layla froze. But instead of grabbing her, he hit the elevator button. She could feel the rumble of the lift's mechanisms against her back and looked a the securitron questioningly.

"Listen, little lady," he started, sounding grave. "Old Vic's not always going to be around. You've got to be more careful."

The door opened, and she nearly fell backward into the elevator. Victor rolled in only far enough to press a button on the panel, then backed out. Layla could see several more robots behind him, and realized they'd probably be firing if Victor hadn't been in the way.

"See you around, darlin.'" The cowboy on his screen shifted to a wink.

The door closed, and the elevator started moving. The Courier merely blinked for a moment, not completely believing what had just happened. She stood stunned until the elevator door opened. Beyond was a huge room, clearly in the bowels of the building. Stepping out, Layla saw a pod at the end of a metal catwalk.

As she neared, she began to realize what it was she was looking at. Stepping around a computer terminal, she moved to the pod and looked in.

He looked like corpse. A dried out body that scavenging animals hadn't found. The kind that was past being disgusting, just upsetting.

There was a helmet screwed into his head, and judging by the wiring she could see, it was how he connected to his network. If the man in the pod could see her, he gave no sign of it.

Backing up a step, she turned to the computer terminal. There were a few options on the screen, namely opening the pod, 'sterilizing it' and isolating it from the network. The last had to be the one she wanted, but she wasn't sure. She wasn't even sure what it would do to House, wired as he was.

Taking a breath to try and calm herself, she keyed the sequence to open the pod. The machine hissed as the air trapped inside escaped and an alarm sounded. Soon the pod had opened, and House's frail body was propped upright on the platform.

"Why have you… done this? Centuries of preparation…." he rasped, apparently aware of his surroundings now. His voice sounded harsh and alien from lack of use. Layla steeled herself and spoke.

"I wasn't going to kill the Brotherhood, and I knew you weren't going to let it go. I'm not a murderer."

"Already… are… germs infect body… only a year at most."

The Courier gaped at him, looking down at the screen below her. There was a warning about microbiotic contaminants. The sealed pod's main purpose was to protect him from exposure. Looking back, up, she felt a lump in her throat. She swallowed it as best she could and tried to remember why she was here.

"I… I'm sorry. I'm going to take you off the grid. You-"

"No… Don't take me off… rather be dead," House rasped, starting to sound crazed.

She stared at him, suddenly aware she was trembling. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. What was she supposed to do?

*.*.*

"Grenade!" Boone cried, ducking behind the counter again. Raul crouched behind the table as the explosive sent shrapnel everywhere. They had managed to put down several of the robots, but there were more coming from the elevator every few minutes.

"How are we doing?" the ghoul called back to the pair at the computer terminal.

"We're still locked out!" Veronica called over the overturned table covering them and the terminal, trying to find a way back into the system. They needed to do something, or Layla was a goner. "If I can just…" She trailed off as the alarms suddenly cut out. The securitrons had all stopped shooting as well.

"What is it?" Arcade whispered. The room had suddenly become very quiet.

"A tragedy has befallen all of mankind," the securitrons in the room all said at the same time. Arcade and Veronica looked at each other, moving away from the console to get a look at the robots. Boone and Raul were giving them the same perplexed look as the securitrons continued in unison.

"Robert Edwin House, 261, President CEO, and sole proprietor of the New Vegas-"

"Why are they doing this?" Raul asked. "What happened?"

Veronica moved back to the terminal. "I… don't know. The alarms are all off."

"Wait, listen," Arcade said.

"… and software corporation, RobCo Industries, has died.

Generally recognized by Mr. House to be mankind's only hope of long-term survival, Mr. House's passing may well sound a death knell for the entire human race…"

"Dead? He's dead?" Veronica gaped.

"Can we get into the penthouse?" Boone asked. The scribe went back to the terminal.

"The security's been reset." She easily accessed the earlier locked down security functions. "I… yes, the elevator controls are back."

"We shouldn't all go piling in… just in case it's a trap," Arcade said.

"We'll go," Boone said, looking at Raul, who nodded. Seeing no argument, the sniper made his way through the crowd of robots, all still reciting House's obituary.

*.*.*

"ERROR. No such program exists."

Boone heard a securitron's voice ring out in the otherwise silent penthouse. There were robots all over the huge area, but they didn't seem concerned with either man. Further in the room, he heard what he thought was Layla's voice.

"ERROR. No such program exists," the robotic voice echoed loudly again. He and Raul made their way toward the sound. At the end of a set of stairs they found Layla facing a securitron. She turned to face them, tears streaming down her face.

"I k-killed him," she barely made out between sobs.

"We know," Raul said. "The securitrons-"

"No, not just House," she interrupted.

"What do you mean?" Boone asked, confused. Layla turned back to the securitron.

"Where is Victor?"

"ERROR. No such program exists."

She sunk to the ground, crying harder.

* * *

><p>Crossing That Bridge will conclude on Wednesday, the week after that we'll be moving on to...the story I don't have a name for yet. Thanks for reading (and thanks for any reviews, favorites and alerts)!<p>

*hm, don't know where I got 'Erwin' from. Ah well, fixed, thanks Vect.


	5. Virgin Territory

Layla was sitting on her couch. Someone had put a glass of water in her hand. The others were milling around worriedly. Once they'd been given the all-clear, Cass, Lily and Emily had returned. Arcade had pulled them aside in the suite to let them know Layla had killed House, destroying Victor in the process.

Now the Courier was staring at the wall in her room, barely acknowledging anyone.

"Hey… you want to talk about it?" Veronica tried again, sitting next to her on the couch. Layla shook her head.

"Nothing to talk about."

"I think there's plenty to talk about," Cass said from her spot at the doorway.

"We need to figure out what to do now," Layla amended, still sounding dazed.

"That's not what I meant," the older woman said sourly. Starting to really worry now, she went to find Arcade.

The doctor was in the kitchen with Raul and Boone. All three men looked up at her when she entered, faces grim.

"Arcade, I think you'd better take a look at her." The blonde leapt to his feet.

"What is it?"

"She's barely responding to anyone. Shouldn't she be freaking out? Or anything?" The doctor frowned at that, pushing the glasses up his nose.

"Let me go look at her." He started for the bedroom, Cass in tow. Arcade sat on the coffee table across from the girl.

"Hey, Layla?" he said when she didn't look at him right away.

"What?" she answered.

"It's okay to be upset about this, but you need to talk to us."

The Courier looked at him for a moment, but looked back at the spot on the wall she'd been staring at.

"I'm okay, it's over. I'm just a little upset."

"Well, you're staring at the wall and talking like a zombie," the doctor said lightly. "That's not exactly healthy."

She shrugged, eyes still on the wall.

"You're worrying us," he tried again, sounding more serious.

"Sorry," she said simply. Sighing, Arcade rose to his feet and motioned for Cass to follow him as he left the room. Veronica stayed by Layla's side.

"Well?" Cass asked, not sure she wanted to hear what the doctor had to say.

"It's an acute stress reaction. Having to kill House and finding out what happened to Victor must have pushed her over the edge."

"Over the edge? Is she going to stay like this?" Raul asked, standing in the kitchen doorway with Boone.

"No no," the doctor answered quickly. "No. It's a very temporary condition. It might just take her a couple hours, two or three days at the very most." He sighed heavily. "If it does persist longer than that, she may have developed Post-traumatic stress disorder, but we don't need to get ahead of ourselves."

Cass sighed, looking back into the master bed room. Layla had a gentle heart; she felt like she'd murdered House, no matter what had happened. Victor's 'death' would be unforgivable in her eyes as well. The caravaneer just hoped this wouldn't harden the girl too much. Cass had seen plenty of people turn mean after this kind of thing.

Looking around the group, she wondered if the others were coming to the same conclusion. Their faces were all grim. Boone suddenly broke off from them and moved to the bedroom. Curious, Cass followed.

"Layla," he said firmly.

"Hm?" she answered hazily.

"You had to do it." She looked at him with a frown.

"Did I? I murdered two people. One was my friend."

"You didn't know about Victor," the sniper said. "And House had to die. You put him out of his misery." The Courier went back to looking at the wall.

"Doesn't make what I did right."

"He wanted you to start killing innocent people. Would that have been better?" The girl didn't answer for a moment.

"He didn't-"

Boone didn't let her finish.

"Once the securitron army was ready, he could wipe out anyone he wanted to. And he would have. If anyone tried to stop him he'd just kill them too."

"But he-"

"If you hadn't stopped him, he just would have gotten someone else."

Layla didn't answer, but Cass noticed she was gripping her glass of water so hard her hand was turning white. She was about to speak up to stop the sniper, but he continued before she could.

"You didn't murder him. He made you kill him."

Layla got her feet and hurled the cup of water at the wall with a roar. The glass shattered loudly, and then there was only the sound of the Courier breathing heavily.

"God damn it!" she cried, then looked at the sniper as her mask of rage crumbled into a naked, devastated look.

"I didn't want to kill anyone."

"I know," was all he said, and she sunk back onto the couch.

"C-could you guys give me a few minutes alone?" Cass felt her heart twist at the sorrow in the girl's voice, but at the same time she was heartened. Layla couldn't stand letting people see her cry. The Courier wasn't over what had happened, but she was functioning again.

Veronica looked like she didn't want to leave, but got up at the insistent looks she got from the others. They all filed out quickly. Cass found Arcade leveling a raised eyebrow at Boone as the sniper closed the door behind them.

"Well, I wouldn't have prescribed that kind of slash and burn psychology. But I guess that's one way to break someone out of a funk."

"Is she going to be okay?" Veronica asked, sounding upset.

"She'll bounce back once she's cried it out," Cass said, sounding a little more confident than she felt.

*.*.*

Ambassador Crocker looked up from a sheet of paper he was reading when Layla walked into his office. He didn't seem surprised to see her.

"The securitrons are handing these out." He held the paper out to Layla. It was a printed copy of House's obituary. Handing it back, she sat on the chair near his desk, legs suddenly feeling like jelly. There was a creak in the floor, and she saw Boone had moved closer to her. Once she'd come out of her room, giving up on her unsuccessful attempts to hide her puffy red eyes, she'd wanted to do something productive. Eventually she'd decided to make the ambassador aware of the situation. She hadn't understood why Boone had wanted to go with her until now: moral support.

"Is it true? Is he dead?" Crocker asked, sounding slightly cautious.

"Yeah," Layla answered quickly. "Yeah, he's dead." She wanted to explain why, but decided against it. The rational part of her brain was starting to take over again. She looked up at the man sitting across from her.

"We're giving the Strip to the NCR," she said. The ambassador looked shocked for a moment, then a smile split his face.

"But it's going to be on my terms," she continued once that had sunk in. "I don't want the NCR to just throw everyone out and set up shop."

Crocker nodded. "That's fair."

"We'll begin negotiations after the dam's settled." Sitting back in her chair, Layla sighed. "If we don't focus on the Legion, there'll be no Strip to give."

The ambassador nodded, then smiled. "I'm sure we can come to a decision that will benefit everyone. For now, we'll worry about the coming battle."

Layla felt the tension in her shoulders relax. Crocker had sounded far more natural with his last comments. She'd come to trust the man, and if he was indeed the one to oversee the takeover, it would be even-handed. A mildly amused look came over his features as he spoke again.

"So… I guess that makes you the acting ruler of New Vegas."

Layla stared at the man, mouth slightly agape. She hadn't been expecting that. Sitting back in her chair, she frowned, then laughed.

"That ought to make my bounty go up."

"If anyone ever catches you, you'll bankrupt the Legion," Crocker said with a grin.

Layla laughed again, but the mirth left her a moment later. She'd been so eager to do something, anything that wasn't staying in the Lucky 38. Politics hadn't been the smartest choice, she realized now. She'd done enough thinking for one day.

"I'll be on my way then," she said, standing.

"Stop by and play some Caravan when you've got a minute," the ambassador said easily as she left.

*.*.*

The Aces theater was blissfully quiet tonight, just a few people in the booths. Layla figured people were worried about the change in management. The thought didn't improve her already bad mood. The loose ends for the day were tied up; Emily had agreed to take Yes Man to the Followers' Outpost for now. All involved agreed that keeping the robot away from House's system was for the best. Layla would have to think of a permanent solution for the robot later. Emily would be back with a few other Followers to start looking into House's systems.

For now, the securitrons didn't seem to have any problem answering to her. Veronica had found the command prompt that turned over control of the robots. They'd tested it by sending three of them to bring messages to the heads of the three families, similar to the message she'd given Crocker. The main difference was that they'd meet before the battle. Layla wanted everyone to be in agreement before they presented their terms to the NCR.

Sighing, she continued staring into her vodka. It was still untouched. She'd come in just as Bruce Isaac was finishing his set. Now the theater was quiet.

Layla had been beyond depressed. She'd needed time alone, away from the 38. Boone hadn't wanted to let her go on her own, but she'd promised she would only go to the Tops and not get into trouble. He'd eventually relented, much to her surprise, grateful though she was for it.

Now she was just sad and numb.

The Lonesome Drifter stepped onto the stage and started playing a sad song. Layla was grateful for it; she wouldn't have been able to take Billy Knight's 'comedy' act tonight.

She thought about trying to get the Tops' High Roller suite for the night, not wanting to go back to the Lucky 38. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing so many securitrons; she had found herself searching the face screens of each one she saw for a cowboy.

Her throat felt thick, and if she'd had any tears left, she would have broken down. As she struggled to swallow, she listened to the song the cowboy on stage was singing.

"_Oh, beat the drums slowly and play the fife lowly_

_Play the dead march as you bear me along_

_Take me to the valley and lay the sod o'er me_

_I'm a young cowboy; I know I've done wrong"_

She almost found more tears, but they stalled. She was still grateful she'd caught his act.

"Hey."

Layla looked over as Swank appeared at her side. His normal winning smile was a careful neutral look. "Want some company?"

She wanted to tell him no, but she suddenly felt lonely. She motioned to the chair across from her and he sat.

"I take it things didn't go like you planned?" he asked casually.

"No," she said simply. He nodded before speaking again.

"When do you want to meet, baby?" She looked from her drink, guessing that meant the Chairmen were still backing her.

"Not for a while… I need time to think," Layla answered, biting her lip and hoping he'd drop the subject for now. She really didn't want to talk business. Swank nodded and didn't speak further, turning his head toward the stage.

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Layla asked suddenly. Surprisingly, the Chairman laughed.

"'Course I have, sweetheart. So have you, long before today."

She sighed. "Have you ever murdered a helpless old man in cold blood?"

Swank looked at her, eyes trying read her. He leaned back on his chair. "Baby, you don't have to be waving a gun to be dangerous. I'd call you more trouble without a weapon."

That made her think, and she sighed.

"Did I tell you Benny showed up here the other day?" Swank said casually. That got her attention.

"What did he want?"

"Not sure. We didn't let him in. Seemed like he was testing the waters. He left without a fuss, though." Swank gave her an amused look. "He's not exactly welcome here."

Layla frowned. "How is what he did any worse than what I've just done? He was going to kill House too. I'm no better…"

The Chairman gave her a smile. "If you killed House, it was for a good reason. The fact that Benny's alive is proof you don't kill without a pretty heavy cause." He tipped her face up gently. "He tried to kill the sweetest kid I've ever met just cause you were in the way. I've never heard of you killing the innocent."

Victor came to her mind immediately, and she bit her lip.

"Hey, did you hear about the guy whose entire left side was cut off?" Swank said. Layla gave him a perplexed look, and he continued.

"He's all right now."

The Courier stared at him for a moment before she broke into loud laughter. She gave him a light shove, still giggling.

"That was terrible. Thanks, I needed that."

"Stick around and get your bearings," Swank said, standing from his seat. "Drinks are on me."

"Thanks, Swank."

He smiled at her. "Any time, doll."

* * *

><p>So, couple things to announce:<p>

*Next Wednesday we will begin 'Golden Years.'

*We are officially halfway through the series. I know what you're thinking: '_Halfway?_ Are you going to actually finish the whole thing?' Well, I never thought I'd get through Companions, so we'll see.

*If you haven't heard it before, the song mentioned in today's chapter is 'Streets of New Reno,' written and preformed by J.E. Sawyer, who is New Vegas' lead designer and project director. It's very good, so go listen to it.

*And as always, thank you for reading. Thanks again for folks who took the time to review, alert and favorite. Have a wonderful week!


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